Sawyer's Crossing is nestled in the middle of a Southern Oregon valley that has just enough agriculture to have opened up the terrain to views of the surrounding wooded hills. A river winds through it. It had been a timber mill town back when there were more trees to cut, but now the biggest crop is marijuana. It's home to Amelia, Joni, Abby, Sky and Maria: five girls who'd been friends since they were three years old. But, their differences are becoming increasingly evident through the course of their adolescence. Amelia's striking appearance has always had boys eager to date her. It isn't as easy for her to stay a virgin as it is for the rest of her friends and sex gives her an exciting rush of power. But, Amelia doesn't realize how important friends are until she betrays her closest one and finds out that her relationships require more thought than she'd given them. Joni is the dynamic leader of the group. She's smart, attractive, and the best athlete in the school. She loses her way completely after Amelia betrays her and finds herself stuck with an alcohol problem, just like the negligent parents she'd tried so hard to leave behind. Abby always had an eye for adventure and she starts breaking rules as soon as she figures out how to escape her mother's abusive control. Life's more fun that way, even though it's also a lot more dangerous. She's jealous of Amelia's luck with boys and she hangs on tighter than she should when she starts landing ones herself, finding herself in a very complicated situation. Everyone can see that Sky's different. She has rich grandparents, is an artist, her mom's a hippie, and she wears clothes she buys in San Francisco. But, it turns out, there's even more to her differences than that. And, Maria should have been born in the previous century. She loves God, home and nature. She wishes, more than anything, to avoid modern day society, stay home, and deal only with family, her closest friends, and her pets. That is, until she loses some weight, Amelia gives her a makeover, and the hottest boy in school notices her. In a story about real choices faced by a diverse group of small town girls, friendship is the common support that gets them through their many challenges. This book was previously the author's first book named "Dissolving My Way Home." The title (and a few other minor details) was changed to more aptly reflect its place in the series, The Girls of Sawyer's Crossing.
About the Author: Nicole Rensenbrink is a licensed clinical social worker who lives in a small town in Southern Oregon. She has worked as a therapist for over twenty years, much of it spent with teens at the local middle and high schools. Always interested in creative ways of improving social conditions, this year (2012) Rensenbrink joined forces a group of local residents to start a nonprofit focused on improving health for the minds, bodies and hearts of the residents of her community. On a personal note, the author has raised two children. She lives with her husband, who has two adult children of his own, and his teenage son. She enjoys their many pets, morning runs, yoga classes, eating desserts, her work, writing, developing her spirituality and understanding of people, and deepening her connections to friends and family.